The government has listed a variety of products in the light-emitting diode (LED), photonics, flat-screen monitor and vehicle telematics industries as priority items in efforts to establish a standardization system to be used on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Chen Jay-san (陳介山), director-general of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ (MOEA) Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, said such a system was expected to help Taiwanese producers secure a position in China’s vast market.
The four selected industries are all internationally competitive, he said.
The two sides are expected to sign an agreement on the matter in the upcoming cross-strait meeting to be held in Taichung City later this month.
Because of different standards for 3C products on either side of the strait, Taiwan is unable to sell its big-screen digital TV sets to China, causing local companies to miss out on the surge in demand there during last year’s Beijing Olympic Games, Chen said.
Once an agreement on standard test and certification cooperation is forged, the bureau and its Chinese counterpart could begin follow-up contact and coordination on regular and technical matters, including Chinese authorization for Taiwan to conduct standard checks on local factories producing digital TVs for sale in China, Chen said.
He said the accord would cover the five categories of standards, metrology, test cooperation, verification and certification cooperation, aimed mainly at boosting industrial competitiveness, as well as consumer product safety, a category that is designed to protect consumer health and which will allow Taiwan to screen food safety directly at source.
Meanwhile, as Taiwan and China are both active in the promotion of cooperation in the LED and wireless broadband communication industries, Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute and the Beijing-based National Lighting Test Center are expected to reach an agreement that allows mutual recognition of LED tests by the end of the month, the MOEA said.
Trade opportunities are “amazingly big,” as China is carrying out a national project to replace incandescent streetlamps in major cities with LED bulbs, said an MOEA official responsible for industrial technology affairs.
Given the vast Chinese market, having the two sides share common industrial standards would put Taiwanese businesses in the best position to take a market share in China, the official said.
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